Freak No Longer
by Darkeyes17
Summary: G1 Slight AU: Sequel to 'Freak.' Red Alert is freed from a life of torturous servitude. But he has a lot to learn about the outside world, and his rescuer is only too happy to assist. Will they find love on the way? Slash.
1. Chapter 1

**A/n: **This is only the beginning. Will be updated INFREQUENTLY just so you know. I was trying to write the next chapter of 'Family is Forever,' but the muse wasn't working with me. Oh well. Anyway, this is my sequel to my fic 'Freak.' I really thought a continuation was in order, so here it is.

**Warnings: References to child abuse and slavery.**

**Disclaimer: No, transformers is not mine. **

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><p><strong>Freak No Longer – Prologue<strong>

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><p>The wind thrashed against the crags of Kalis as the storm passed over the city state. Electricity crackled from the acid clouds down to the metal surface of Cybertron. It was a terrible night for any mech to be out. Even worse to be a sparkling.<p>

A little sparkling wailed as he hid inside the little box he had been placed in.

He had no memory of anything but this box. All he knew was that he was alone, and that his helm hurt. It hurt really bad, and that right now, he was scared.

So young was he that he didn't know his creators had abandoned him because they were simply too poor to care for him. He would not know that they regretted it. He couldn't even remember who they were. He felt no bond with them, and before he was another few orns old, any developing bonds he had with them would fade forever.

But the sparkling didn't know that. All he knew was that he didn't like this place. It was too loud, too noisy, too scary.

The storm continued to rage as he cried, little energon tears slipping down his face.

He was hungry too. He couldn't forget being hungry.

He should have died that night.

But Primus had decided to spare this sparkling's life, and did not leave him to a slow, painful deactivation by starvation.

A convoy of mechs and femmes trekked under specialised, expensive cloaks to protect them from the storm. They trudged through the darkness away from Kalis, towards whatever town they came across next.

"Move! We must get to Polyhex within the next three orns!" a rough voice cried.

One of his underlings grumbled at something, and the first mech smacked him, sending him tumbling down the slight slope, coming to rest just before the metal box. He heard the wailing, and ignoring his state, he peered inside. In his astonishment, he called out, "Ringleader! There's a sparkling here!"

The mech called Ringleader went down, his black and red plating dulled by the darkness of the night.

He reached the box, and he too peered in, seeing the pitiful creature. It was a little red and white sparkling with helm horns which were sparking.

That was odd.

An idea formed in his mind.

Maybe that could be something he could use to draw a crowd. His circus was getting less popular with each tour. Perhaps something as startling as a sparkling that continued to spark would earn him some more revenue…

"Pick him up. He may be useful in the future," Ringleader barked.

The second mech, the one he had hit, picked up the box. They walked back to the convoy in silence, Ringleader's mind filled with the credits he could rake in from his newest performer.

As for the sparkling, one moment he knew nothing but the elements beating down harshly on him, and then small, gentle hands taking him out of the box and a soft feminine voice cooing to him. "Hush, little one. You're safe now."

"Moonracer! You can play with him later!" the circus leader called out grumpily from the front of the line.

The sparkling took no notice. His helm horns still sparked, and he didn't like the lightning, but there was something warm holding him, and it felt much better than he did before.

Little did the sparkling know that in the next few vorns hardship would come to him in the form of being the performing 'freak' of the circus who had adopted him. They all called him Freak, except for the sweet Moonracer, who played with him, named him Red Alert. His youngling years would age him. He knew almost nothing of the outside world, only of the arena, and his glitch causing circus patrons to 'ooh' and 'ahh' over his reactions. It was a painful, unrewarding existence.

Ringleader had told him about how he had been abandoned, and sometimes Red Alert wondered why Primus had let him live that night only to be used and made to feel pain.

He finally found his answer when a brave firetruck had decided to rescue him from a life of servitude and torture.

And that is where our story begins…

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><p><strong>AN: This probably won't be updated for a while. I just wanted to start it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **I had no desire to work on my smut stuff at the moment, so I decided to do a chapter for this. Just to keep things interesting in my life XD. This is set at the moment _after_ 'Freak'. I'm also counting this as 'Chapter 2,' because 'chapter 1' is really '_Freak'__. _

**Warnings: **Mentions of past abuse. Non explicit.

**Disclaimer:** (Ugh, getting really tired of writing these) No, I do not in any way own this franchise of Transformers.

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><p><strong>Freak No Longer: Chapter 2 – A Meeting with the medic<strong>

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><p>It was a dream.<p>

Red Alert kept his optics shut and his frame rigid as he booted up, and the dream was remembered vividly in front of his optics.

He was 'performing', when a handsome red mech had parted the crowd and told Ringleader he wanted to buy him. Paid 10 000 credits to purchase him, and all he had remembered in the dream at this point was pain, before he woke up to see the red mech, telling him he was free.

Inferno.

His imagination had given him the perfect saviour. Strong, kind, with the most wonderful smile. And his saviour had said that the way he lived wasn't how all Cybertronians lived!

It had been a wonderful dream while it had lasted. He hoped he could have it again.

Reluctant to open his optics – he had so enjoyed the reality of the dream flux – Red Alert stretched.

It was only then that his sensors registered he was lying on the same soft material he had been on in his 'dream.'

Bolting up, awake, Red's mouth gaped open.

_It wasn't a dream!_

Now that he was alone, he took stock of his surroundings. The space he was in (a room?) was made up of three walls and a window. The window showed many gleaming buildings and flying mechs and femmes soaring through the air. The walls were a cream colour, and there was minimal decoration. A simple picture adorned the wall. Looking closer in curiosity, all the red mech could see was some purple and blue crystals, with splashes of green. There was the surface he was lying on. Moonracer had never taught him what bots slept on, because he had his cage and his mat for as long as he could remember. There was also a set of drawers. Different to the ones that had been in the circus which held props. They were some sort of black stone, carved with a spiralling pattern on the top.

Crawling out of the soft surface in curiosity, Red Alert moved forward and laid his hands on it.

For some reason, he felt a tingle in his digits.

This was real. Substantial.

He was free.

And at the same time, he was not.

It dawned on him that even though he could possibly walk out that door and Inferno would let him go (he hoped), where would he go? What could he do? All he had ever known was the circus. The pain of his glitch, being called a 'freak,' of being treated the wrong way. He didn't have any use to anyone. He had no idea as to what the world was really like. And what was to say that Ringleader or some other mech like him wouldn't capture him and treat him like that once more?

His sensor horns sparked at the mere _thought_ of the taunts and the pain.

"Red?"

The soft voice made him turn around. Inferno was in the doorway, smiling at him.

Nervously, Red Alert took his hands off the drawers, knowing perhaps this nice mech might not like him touching his things. Ringleader never allowed him to touch anything.

"It's okay," Inferno said, edging into the room carefully. This mech he had freed, he knew nothing about except for their first, true encounter where they were both in their sound minds. Only that he was terribly abused and had such a curious, yet cautious nature about him.

"Is it really?" asked the smaller mech.

Silence strung between them. Inferno didn't really know how to reply to that, and Red Alert had no wish to break the silence with saying something. He didn't really know what to say. He had a feeling that the social etiquette in the real Cybertronian world was different to what he had experienced. He watched his rescuer, searching for any cues.

"I'd like t' think so," replied the larger mech finally, coming closer and sitting down on the berth. "After all…ya're out of that horrible place. I see that as a victory. A small one. But I just gotta count the blessin's."

Shyly, uncertainty practically bleeding out of him, Red Alert asked, "What happens from here? I don't…I don't know-"

"Shh," soothed Inferno. "I meant it when I said I'd take care of ya. And that means ya need a visit from a medic to give ya a check up. Primus knows how good that dolt took care of ya."

Ducking his helm, Red mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"Hey." A warm hand came to rest on his shoulder to give an assuring squeeze. "Ya ain't got nothin' to be sorry for. It's not ya fault ya ended up with them."

Again, that strong sense of _trust_ came from within him, so the younger mech sat down beside the larger mech and supplied, "Abandoned. Ringleader relished in telling me of how he took me in. On a stormy night outside of Kalis. I had no creators to my name. I was left alone."

The word echoed in the space between them.

"Well, I think it's safe to say ya ain't gonna be alone anymore," Inferno said with a grin.

Nodding his head, Red looked up into the other mechs optics. They were such a warm, reassuring blue. They drew him in, and he gave his own tiny smile in reply.

A chime went off somewhere, and Inferno rose, saying over his shoulder, "It's prob'ly just Ratchet. He's my medic. He's gonna look you over."

When the larger mech left, it felt as if some of the warmth left the room. Red Alert shivered. His rescuers presence had been so calming. He was solid. And now that he had left – however briefly – he wished for him to return. A nervousness crept in. He had only seen medics a few times when he was younger, and actually only tended to twice in his entire life. The first time was to receive the right codes, anti-virus, and basic firewall protection to his processor. The second when was his glitch had truly played up, and he had to take almost three decacyles off from his act. Ringleader had not been happy. Any other time he had wounds or when he was feeling like the lowest mech in the world, Moonracer had been there to stroke his helm and hold his hands until he rested.

He had no idea what this medic would be like. Would he be as stiff and as coldsparked like the previous two experiences had taught him? Or would he treat him like a drone?

But then again, this medic was a friend of Inferno's. And if Inferno was being honest in his desire to care for him, then he would have gotten somebot who would bring no harm to him.

Shuttering his optics, he heard as footsteps echoed from somewhere outside the door. There were two sets, and the one in front was heavier than the one in the back. Inferno must have been in the front, which meant the medic would be a smaller frame type than the large red mech.

"Red Alert, we're coming in. Let us know if you feel uncomfortable," Inferno's now-familiar voice called out before stepping in, being just as cautious as before, before making way for the mech behind him. Red stiffened, prepared for the worst.

A little ebb of relief washed over him as the medic came into view. He was predominantly white with red plating here and there, red crosses on his shoulders and a grey chevron mounting his helm. He looked both a mech not to be messed with and yet the true depiction of a typical healer. There was intelligence in those optics, and an underlying concern almost marred by the grimness of his expression.

"I'm Ratchet. I'm CMO at the Iacon general, and I happen to be a friend of Inferno's. He told me about you. Red Alert, isn't it?"

The briskness would have put him off it is wasn't for the gentle tone and the careful hands as he neared Red. The smaller mech nodded, torn between trusting and shying away, hiding behind his protector. "Yes."

"I heard you were secluded from normal Cybertronian society all of your life. How well can you read or write?" asked the medic, kneeling before him and setting a grey bag down. It made a soft clinking noise as it rested on the floor.

"I have a good abilities in speech, reading, and writing, but only in Cybertronian. I wasn't taught anything in my life apart from out language we share, and where everything is in this planet. The circus leader's daughter, Moonracer, taught me." Red Alert shuttered his optics rapidly, as if not believing he had revealed so much to this stranger medic. He took hold of the bolt of courage running through him at the present time and went on, "It was only allowed by Ringleader because it was to be more humiliating for me…that I could have some normalcy within me even as I was tortured by my own glitch."

Ratchet was silent, his optics turning a shade deeper with sorrow. There was such a strength within this young mech. A resilience. Something he saw with some abuse victims, but not all.

"Well, that's why I'm here. I'm going to determine the source of your glitch and see if it's not too late to remove the coding or at least decrease the symptoms so they no longer cause you crippling pain," informed the medic, moving closer to Red. His usual bedside manner was dropped today in favour of assuring the mech before him. Inferno had been right to call him. This was a bad case.

"What must I…what must I do? Do I have to show you my glitch?"

Even as Red asked, the other two mechs flinched. They had no wish to see any intentional pain inflicted.

"No. Just open up the medical access panel, and let me do the rest. It will feel very odd. In your case, it might even feel intrusive. But I promise not to hurt you, on my medic's oath," Ratchet explained, unspooling his medical data cable from his forearm. He offered it forward, allowing the smaller red mech to get a good look at it.

Inferno came around to sit at Red Alert's side once more, and took his hand. "I'm right here if you need anything."

Inundated by the show of caring, Red felt a deep emotion bloom deep inside, something he had never felt before. Gratitude? Maybe. It seemed apt. "Thank you," he whispered.

Taking it as invitation, he helped the younger mech unlatch his medical panel (the hinges squeaked from disuse) and plug the cable in.

Red stiffened when he felt the intruder. Every baser instinct was screaming at him to get the medic out, but he kept his conscious at the forefront. He needed this. He needed this glitch to go away. And only a medic could do that. He shuttered his optics and gritted his denta as he felt something probing within his processor. It was gentle, and that helped, but Ratchet had been right. It felt invading.

Not long after, although it seemed an eternity to Red Alert, Ratchet withdrew, satisfied he had collected enough data to analyse. He still kept them connected through the medical uplink, but he was no longer intentionally searching through systems. "I'll have to go through the coding of the glitch later on. But for now, I can send your processor a synthesized package of updated anti-virus and firewall software. Not to mention the necessary processor upgrades needed for you to extend your knowledge base easier. I can send it through the link now, and you can sink back into recharge and let your processor do all the work. Sound good?"

"I think so. I don't know," admitted Red shyly.

"Of course you wouldn't have," murmured the medic pensively. Not accusing in any way. "I think it's for the best. You need more rest. And don't worry. You're in Inferno's capable hands."

Inferno was silent, watching them.

Secure.

Safe.

Red Alert nodded, gesturing for Ratchet to complete the medical upload. The data package was sent, and no sooner had he opened it when code protocols from it shut him down for recharge.

Seeing the optics dim, Inferno laid the smaller mech down on the berth as Ratchet unplugged the medical access cable and placed it back into his arm. In silence they left the room and shut the door.

Ratchet's gentle demeanour with Red Alert completely vanished then, and he hissed to Inferno, "Those slaggers! They only gave him the most rudimentary of protection! It's a miracle he's survived this long, with his glitch and all. And he's young too. Not too much younger than you, but young nevertheless. He should be out in the world trying to find a job and finding romance or a good frag, not struggling to assimilate into life as a normal Cybertronian."

"Prime's doin' something about it. He assured me."

Ratchet whirled around to the big mech and studied him. He'd never seen the fire and rescue mech like this before. Red Alert and his condition must have really sobered the mech. "Well, you did good in rescuing him. Otherwise, I think he would have deactivated under too much more of the kind of treatment you described to me. It makes my energon boil and my tank turn. It's disgusting that mechs would do that sort of thing to their own kind!"

Inferno sighed and walked into his living room, flopping into his big couch gracelessly. "Yeah, I agree. Ratch…when I look at him, I can't help but want to hold him and make sure everythin' is okay. Don't know why. And it makes me angry. He's a gentle spark, I can see it in 'im already."

The medic nodded, but suspected more than pity was happening within the bigger mech. He went on, a bit less gruffly, "It's going to be a long and hard road Inferno. You sure you know what you are getting yourself into? There are clinics that will take him."

"Without a doubt, yeah." There was no hesitation from Inferno as he spoke. "I know it'll be hard. But somethin' within me is tellin' me Red'll come good. As long as I have ya support, I should be right."

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><p><strong>A.N: <strong>Why is it my muse loves to pull me in all sorts of directions? Oh well.

Please review! I'm so happy you guys like it so far. Thank you also for the favourites and the alerts.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **How about a little bit of fluff before we get into the tough stuff? My muse has been dead on me for the past month, and she FINALLY got me going on this. At least it's something. I think I'm finally climbing out of my funk that I've been in lately. Who knows?

Ah well, I hope you like it.

**Warnings: **Fluff. Little bit of angst.

**Disclaimer: **I do not in any way own this franchise. I'm just playing with it.

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><p><strong>Freak No Longer – Chapter 3: Simple affection<strong>

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><p>Inferno sighed as he looked out at the hubbub of central Iacon. His living room was brightly lit by the day outside, yet it was cool in his apartment. His optics were unseeing as he pondered his situation.<p>

What was he getting himself into?

He knew it was the right thing to save Red Alert. It was more than right. In his spark, he knew that on that day, he was in the right place at the right time. He saved this life, and he felt no qualms for it.

But after talking to Ratchet, the gravity of his actions finally hit him.

He was going to be responsible for the full rehabilitation of a mech that knew next to nothing about reality. Red Alert would be dependent on him. The words he had spoken were all to true. Where would Red go if Inferno decided he wasn't worth it? A colder spark than Inferno's would have dropped the young mech off to an institution of some kind. Swirling the energon in his cube thoughtfully, Inferno knew he wouldn't do it. He could not ever give up on this young, innocent mech he had found. It would be trying, no doubt, but for a while now he felt that there was more to life than working as a firefighter, receiving a good salary, and living a fairly good life alone.

Maybe looking after Red Alert would make him see to something more.

He found it fortunate that he knew Optimus Prime. He had met the great mech when he first came to power, and they had chatted together while at a firefighter fundraiser. A charity ball. One strong thing they had in common was their dislike of formal affairs when actions needed to be taken.

When he had informed Prime of what he had seen and witnessed, he was surprised that he had lent his full support.

And it was because of that support that Inferno was given indefinite leave from the fire department to look after Red Alert.

At the thought of the little mech, Inferno rose from the couch and went to the spare room, optics gentling when his gaze fell on Red.

To put it simply, Red Alert was beautiful to Inferno's optics.

Although his paint was of cheap quality and his plating showed signs of poor maintenance, Inferno saw the innocence barely hanging by a thread, and the capacity to become a handsome mech. The larger mech had no doubt that Red Alert would clean up well when the time came.

Now, he was content to watch over the slumbering red and white mech.

On his side, curled up underneath an blanket, Red was at peace, burrowed in his own warmth. It was a sensation he had quickly gotten used to after years of recharging on cold concrete floors under threadbare coverings.

As Inferno watched, Red Alert stirred, optics fluttering open slowly.

Tensing, the larger mech waited for panic, or for disbelief. It had happened the two other times his charge had woken today, and he made sure to reassure Red as much as possible that this was real, and he meant it when he said he would care for the smaller mech.

Sitting up, Red mumbled, "Inferno."

"Right here," Inferno rumbled softly, slowly moving over to Red's side and sitting on the edge of the berth.

He was graced by a small smile. "You're still here," whispered the smaller mech.

"Yep," grinned Inferno.

Silence fell between them as Red crawled out and snuggled into his protector's side.

_Safe._

He wondered if that feeling would ever abate. Every time he was near or touching Inferno, that's all he could comprehend.

Basking in the warmth, he felt more than heard the gentle giant's chuckle as he leaned towards the affection given. Once he was given these tentative touches by Inferno, he sought more. He had gone through an affection drought for too long, and so he sought it from the one who had rescued him. If he weren't feeling so protected, Red would be scolding himself for acting like a youngling. He was stronger than this.

A large hand stroked over his shoulders as a warm voice asked, "Hungry Red?"

"Mm? Oh…sure. I mean, if you _want_ to feed me."

All at once Red Alert knew he had said the wrong thing. The hand stopped moving over his shoulders and the larger frame tensed. Looking up, something within him shrank back at the sudden blank look on Inferno's face.

"How often did ya get energon?" Inferno asked, trying hard to keep his tone even.

"Usually it was after a performance. They forgot to feed me most of the time. Moonracer…she's the one who looked after me, sometimes couldn't sneak me more than a quarter of a cube once a day," replied Red softly.

Hot rage, the same rage he had felt in that night in the circus, welled up within Inferno. Gritting his denta, he fought to keep it from coming out. He was _not_ going to let it escape around Red Alert. He had been through enough.

No, he was going to request Optimus for the chance to leave just one mark on Ringleader's pathetic hide before he was sent to jail. Starving this mech! The cruelty of this circus continued to shock him. Inferno wondered what else had been done to the mech at his side. He dreaded having to ask.

Trembling brought him back to himself, and when he looked down, his rage flooded out of him.

Red was trembling, looking up at him uncertainly.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to Inferno. "I didn't mean to make you upset."

"Red-"

"Are you going to hit me?" the smaller mech blurted out before he could help himself.

Stunned, but expecting it, Inferno gently drew the trembling red and white form closer to him. "No. I'm not angry at ya. I'm angry at what's been done to ya. Ya've been starved and tortured through yah glitch, and not been allowed to develop as most do. I'm sorry for makin' ya scared. I'd never intentionally harm ya," he assured Red Alert, pulling him onto his lap in the same position they had took the first time Red had woken up. The slighter body was tense for a few breems before relaxing into the hold.

"Ya can't blame yaself either," Inferno mumbled, beginning to stroke over Red's shoulders once more in an attempt to give the affection his charge sought.

Nodding, Red Alert leaned into the larger mech and sighed. He could get used to this. "Yes," he said.

"Yes what?"

"Yes I'm hungry. Yes I'll try not to think like I did something that made them hate me," replied Red with a touch of audacity.

Snickering in amusement, Inferno lifted them off the berth, placed Red down and then led them to the body of his apartment to get energon.

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><p><strong>AN: **I know it wasn't that exciting, but I wanted them to cuddle! Let me know of you liked it with some feedback!

I'd also like some suggestions as to where I should go with this. Have a general idea, but I'd like to hear what I should add.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **I hate my muse. She wants to work on non-smut stuff. *sigh* But I am LOVING all the responses I receive with each chapter.

**Warnings: **Fluff. Little bit of angst.

**Disclaimer: **I do not in any way own this franchise. I'm just playing with it.

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><p><strong>Freak No Longer – Chapter 4: Inferno Talks<strong>

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><p>Red Alert's optics were glued to the living room window.<p>

If his cube of energon had been in his hand, he would have dropped it in the shock of the sheer overload of information he was receiving through his visual sensors. And he only had one word.

_Wow!_

It was amazing! He knew the sky was blue, but the beauty of Alpha Centauri shining down on the metal world was breathtaking. The light gleamed off buildings and refracted it's way down to the streets of Iacon. Skyscrapers were made of every type of metal, many of the names he didn't know, but they shone in a pleasing array of colours. Blue glass, black glass, white, clear, and even green marked the buildings among the shining metal.

And for the first time, he realised that _this_ was Cybertron. This was where he belonged.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Inferno murmured from the couch behind him.

A deep pang of remorse and sorrow ripped through Red Alert then, as he moved towards the glass separating him from the outside and placed his hand on it. "What have I been missing my whole life? There is more than this," he wondered aloud.

"Yeah. There is. And I wanna be here to help ya Red," the larger mech stated, making the smaller turn around. Reluctantly, he made his way over to the couch and took the energon offered, sipping it slowly, savouring it. It felt so good and rich, slipping down to his tanks and fuelling him. He unknowingly moaned at the taste. He hadn't had such a good meal in a long time. Sure, he was given energon when he woke up, but he had been unable to register the taste in his apprehension. Now, he could enjoy.

Inferno chuckled at the gusto at which Red ate. To see he enjoyed his fuel warmed his spark.

"What ya saw…are seein' out that window, is only a small part of our world Red. There's heaps of things to catch up on. But we're gonna take it slow. Okay? No rushin'. We've got the rest of our lives," the fire truck said softly.

The red and white nodded, sighing in relief. "Thank you. You are truly a good mech Inferno. Even I in my limited experience can see that."

Grinning, Inferno replied, "Nice of ya. While ya're sippin' on that energon there, do ya mind if I tell ya a bit about m'self? Just to get us more comfortable with each other."

Seeing the slow nod from his companion and taking a sip from his energon, Inferno began.

"Name's Inferno, which ya know. I've lived in Iacon, the capital city of Cybertron, all my life. I had two mech creators, Blazestone and Rick-Ride. They're still alive and kickin'. They live on the outskirts of Iacon, away from the hustlin' and bustlin' of the city centre. Carrier was Rick-Ride. He's a carer at a youth centre, while Blazestone, my creator, is a fire-fighter. Like me." He paused to gauge his audience's reaction. So far, Red Alert had turned to him, facial expression open in his curiosity and attentiveness.

"They were good to me. I was their only creation though. Was a bit of a cheeky youngling, but didn't give 'em too much trouble. I decided to follow in my creator's path when I saw how much he helped other bots. And…I wanted to help 'em too."

"Noble," murmured Red.

"Eh. If ya think so. For me, it's about savin' those lives. There's also somethin' about fire. About watchin' it, about working with it and trying to brave it, that…" Inferno trailed off, wondering if he should reveal this about himself. His optics caught Red Alert's, and the pure trust that was placed on his shoulders made his mouth open to speak. "It gets me fired up a little. It's exhilaratin'. It's when ya know we're meant for a higher purpose as a race. If that makes any sense to ya."

Fiddling with his empty energon cube, the horned mech shook his helm slowly. "It makes sense. The way you described fire was…beautiful."

Beaming at the other's assessment, Inferno said, "Well, I find it beautiful. But I see the things an out of control fire does to mecha. It ain't pretty. Not at all. It's how I know Ratchet, see? Even if I get mecha out half charred, Ratchet's a miracle worker. Best medic I've ever seen. So I trusted him enough to see ya."

"I'm glad you did," replied Red, smiling a little in remembrance of how the white medic had treated him.

Sensing a hint of awkwardness in the air, the larger mech asked, "Do ya terribly mind if I keep talkin'? Or would ya like to talk about somethin'?"

"No, go ahead. I'm actually enjoying this. I'm learning," said the smaller mech, that curiosity peeking through again.

With a small chuckle, he went on. "I had fun at school growin' up as a younglin'. Had an average education. Not much to talk about m'self there. Was liked, but not popular. A bit cheeky, but not a clownbot. Average existence. To tell ya the truth Red, apart from my job, nothing all that excitin' happens to me."

"Until you met me," Red Alert broke in quietly.

Sobering, Inferno replied, "It wasn't excitin' seein' what ya went through. But I'm hoping life will be a little less monotonous from now on."

"Monotonous? Boring? Your life? You're a fire fighter! Even I know that's a worthy occupation."

"Ah, well it is. It's rewardin,' but I've never had someone live with me apart from my creators before. That's why I say I hope life is a little more fulfillin'," the larger mech pointed out mildly.

Red Alert's optics widened a fraction. Oh no. He _was_ a nuisance to this mech. He was a burden just to spice things up a bit. His intakes quickened and Inferno, realising how his words could be misinterpreted, reached out and stroked a helm horn to get the red and white's attention.

The reaction was immediate and electric.

The horns sparked, and the smaller mech yelped, flinching away.

"Slag! I'm sorry Red. I'm real sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you," Inferno hastened to assure, feeling guilty, his voice low and hands out in apology.

Red Alert forced himself to calm. He felt a little dizzy from the sudden sensations and felt his sparkbeat speed up, but that was all. It was unexpected contact. And it didn't hurt. In fact, the gentle touch had felt kind of nice. "It's okay. We're both learning, aren't we?"

"Yeah. But I'm still sorry," responded the larger mech in a soft voice. "And I didn't mean to suggest that ya weren't welcome here. I want ya here. I want to help ya, get to know ya."

And when Inferno said that, Red calmed completely, feeling relaxed with the other mech.

This easy camaraderie he could get used to.

Once again, he took his protector's hand and whispered, "Thank you."

The smile in reply reassured him that he had said and done the right thing for both their worries.

Tugging on the smaller hand in his grip gently, the pair rose as Inferno guided them to the large window once more. With another squeeze, the fire truck murmured, "Want me to show ya everything we can see from here?"

Red nodded excitedly. He didn't let go of the other's hand as they spent the rest of the day in front of the large window, Inferno pointing buildings out – the museum, the Prime's residence, the energon storage plant – and Red Alert watching raptly and questioning softly, proud that he felt more in control. Proud that he was learning more than his limited knowledge base was.

As he showed the small mech next to him the sights of the city, Inferno felt the same. He was proud of Red's strength to continue too.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I figured that was a good place to stop. Thank you for the suggestions in reviews. I will use some of them, but I think it would be good if I had Optimus meet Red for the first time.

Until next time!


	5. AUTHOR'S NOTE!

**Note:**

**These fic have been ADOPTED, NOT STOLEN by Speedstreek360. They said they hope to do my fics justice. I'll leave the originals here, but they hopefully will be expanded by the new author.**

**Regards DE17**


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